Tamil Nadu Urban Local Body Election Results 2022: The MK Stalin-led Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and its allies – Congress, CPI(M), CPI, IUML, MDMK, VCK – have registered a landslide victory in the Tamil Nadu Urban Local Body Elections, defeating rivals All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), regional parties like PMK, AMMK, NTK and the BJP which decided to go solo this time. Though the BJP was not successful in securing a majority in any corporation or municipality, it secured a majority in Eraniel town panchayat of Kanyakumari district by bagging 12 out of the 15 seats, the party claimed as it put up the winning candidates’ photos on its Twitter handle.
The BJP had decided to go solo in the local polls, shunning its alliance with the AIADMK at the regional level, to test the waters in the Dravidian state. The BJP’s campaign was led vigorously by Tamil Nadu state chief K Annamalai, a former Karnataka cadre Indian Police Service officer who resigned in 2019 after working in the department for nine years. The saffron party won 22 seats in municipal corporations, 56 in municipalities and 230 in town panchayats, which is very less compared to the total number of seats that went to polls, but was good enough to make it the third-largest party leaving behind regional forces. It has outperformed regional outfits like the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, PMK, Naam Tamizhar Katchi, and the Vijayakanth-led Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK). The BJP’s victory also covers many regions of the state and it is scattered all across Tamil Nadu.
The DMK and its allies notched a huge electoral victory winning over two-thirds of the 12,800 plus ward member posts and bagging all 21 municipal corporations in Tamil Nadu for which results were declared yesterday. The icing on the cake for the DMK, however, was in wresting the western region from its arch-rival AIADMK. The region includes Coimbatore and the ‘Kongu’ region considered a fortress of the AIADMK. The ruling party has won 946 wards in corporations, 2,360 in municipalities and 4,388 in town panchayats which includes local bodies in the home turf of AIADMK leaders including former Chief Ministers K Palaniswami (Edappadi, Salem district) and O Panneerselvam (Periyakulam, Theni district).
The DMK has won a majority in all the 21 municipal corporations including the Greater Chennai Corporation and also came out victorious in most of the 138 municipalities and 490 town panchayats. The main opposition AIADMK which came a distant second winning over 2,000 ward member posts thanked voters who chose the party and said it would continue in people’s work with full commitment.
The Pattali Makkal Katchi, on the other hand, won 73 wards in town panchayats, 48 in municipalities and 5 in corporations. The TTV Dhinakaran-led Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam won 3 corporation wards, 33 in municipalities and 66 in town panchayats. The DMDK has won 12 seats in municipalities and 23 in town panchayats. Among the DMK allies, the Congress won 73 corporation seats, 151 municipal wards and 368 town panchayat seats. Similarly, other allies including the Left parties, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, the Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi and Indiya Jananayaga Katchi have also won, pushing the DMK front’s tally beyond the two-thirds mark.
As many as 57,778 candidates contested for 12,607 posts of ward members in 648 urban local bodies. Polls were held for a total of 12,838 ward member posts in 649 urban civic bodies. The 649 urban local bodies are 21 municipal corporations, 138 municipalities and 490 town panchayats. However, the polls for all the 12 wards in Kadambur town panchayat in Thoothukudi district were cancelled for violations. For a town panchayat ward Kanadukathan in the Sivaganga district, no nominations were filed.
